1C ADVENT, SUNDAY HOMILY, LUKE 21:25-28, 34-36 December 1, 2024
1. STORY
One lovely
morning a bus was taking 60 children, ages four to six, on a picnic. As the bus was approaching a railroad
crossing, the bus driver saw that the railroad gate was open so he proceeded to
cross the railroad tracks. Just at that
very moment, a high-speed train came passing by. The result was 49 deaths and 18 injuries. How did this terrible accident occur? The railway signal operator was asleep. He failed in his duty. He failed to close the safety gate. He was not vigilant.
2. GOSPEL, LUKE
21:25-28, 34-36
A. WE MUST BE
VIGILANT AT ALL TIMES
There are two
reasons to be vigilant.
i) “Beware that
your hearts do not become drowsy by the anxieties of daily life”. Many people are so busy that they must be
reminded to be vigilant.
ii) When Jesus
comes at the end of time, “We must stand erect and raise our heads because our
redemption is at hand.” Jesus will come
to judge us so we must be ready for this great event.
B. WE MUST PRAY
We must pray for
two reasons.
i) We must have
strength to resist the temptations that will attack us at the end of
time.
ii) We must be
ready to stand before Jesus when he comes to judge us.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A. PREPARING FOR
CHRISTMAS
Advent is a time
to prepare for the coming of Jesus. One
way to prepare for Christmas is to send Christmas cards, buy gifts for family
and friends, put up a Christmas tree, go to eat delicious food, or even set out
on a trip. These are all good and
enjoyable activities, but we must remember we are celebrating the birthday of
Jesus. We are not celebrating our
birthday. There is another way to
celebrate this great feast.
B. PREPARING FOR
THE COMING OF JESUS
Here are three
suggestions to prepare for the coming of Jesus.
i) Put up a CRIB
in your home. It will remind you that
Jesus is the center of Christmas. It
will help members of your family better understand the meaning of
Christmas.
ii) Make an
effort to make a good CONFESSION during Advent, thus preparing our hearts to
welcome Jesus.
iii) Invite a
friend or family member to GO TO MASS with you during this Christmas season.
4. CONCLUSION
The railroad
worker was not doing his job, he was not vigilant. This caused a serious accident resulting in
the death of many innocent children. Jesus
warns us to be vigilant so that we will be prepared for his coming at the end
of time and at Christmas. Advent is a
time to prepare for the great feast of Christmas. We can put up a crib in our homes, make a good
confession during Advent, and invite a friend to go with you to Mass at
Christmas. We thank Jesus for his
instruction and ask him for the strength to make good use of Advent.
